In a game that pitted two teams in Bart Torvik’s top-10 defensive efficiency numbers against each other, I got the exact opposite of what I expected.
The Vols absolutely lit up Torvik’s 7th-best defense in the Mississippi State Bulldogs to the tune of nearly 90 points, while shooting 69 percent (nice) from the field and 57 percent (12-21) from deep.
Tennessee started the game off on a 16-0 run, holding the Bulldogs scoreless through five-plus minutes of the first half. Uros hit an early layup, Tyreke Key hit a 3, then Santiago Vescovi hit three-straight 3s to give the Vols part of the early padding on their lead.